This is another dish which I learnt from my sister when I had been to her house during Christmas. I don't know, if it is a coincidence or that she would have already made it exactly on the day I go, This was the third time I had this in her house but never asked her what it was , I just assumed it was a kootu, but, she must have made it in a different method, I always forgot to ask her. After I came back home, I suddenly remembered after 3 days, that again I have forgotten to ask her, This time, I did ask her because I wanted to try it out and post it on my blog!!, well, I did not think I made as good as she did it, but, my hubby dear and children liked it, that is all that I wanted. Here is the recipe for Palu Kura, which my sis learnt it from her Mom-in-law.

POTALAKAYA PALU POSINA KURA / SNAKE GOURD MILK GRAVY

1/2 Kg Snake Gourd

1 tbsp poppy seeds

1/3 cup Grated fresh coconut

2 green chillies

2 tbsp Rice

1/2 cup Milk

1 tsp mustard seeds

1tsp oil

1 tsp Cumin seeds

2 to 3 Chillies ( Green or Dry Red)

1 sprig curry leaves

METHOD

1. First of all soak rice and poppy seeds in warm water for an hour or so, Then cut the Snake Gourd into 2 halves take out the pith from it, if it is still tender do not throw them away, remove and keep it aside.
2. Cut each one into 2 halves and then into 2 halves again and dice them into 1/2'' piece, sprinkle a tsp of salt on them and leave them for an hour or so. My mother says you need to leave it like that because the bitterness gets removed from it.
3. After an hour drain out all the salty water from the vegetable wash it once , and cook the vegetable in a thick bottomed vessel with enough water for it to immerse and an extra cup of water, or in a pressure cooker for just one whistle, until they become soft, not too soft!, otherwise, they get mashed.
4. Grind soaked rice, poppy seeds and coconut, chillies,  into a nice paste.
5. Then add the above-said paste to the cooked snake gourd, mix it and allow it to boil for some time in a medium flame, stirring now and then, otherwise, it separates out into the water. Leave it for few minutes in a low flame.
6. Heat oil in a small pan put mustard seeds when they splutter add Green chillies or Red Chillies,( I used Red chillies) and curry leaves and fry for a minute or two and pour it onto the sambhar.
7. In the end, add milk and switch off the stove.
8. Serve it with hot Rice and upperi or Balka (soured dried Green chillies fried in oil) goes well with it.
9. It goes well with rice & chapati as well.

Note: Here rice is used to bring the thickness to the sambhar and one more thing is I cook my food little spicy so, always use Chilies as you require as the taste of chillies Green or Red vary, You would be the best person to judge how many you need!!!!.

This is a kind of Sambhar, which I learnt from my Mom-in-law, and the most easiest and very tasty dish with a tsp of oil, it just tastes like puliyogari, Once my sisters's daughter had come to stay with me, I had prepared this dish with OKRA, she just loved it so much, my sister always tells me her daughter pesters her to prepare what amma jechi (that's what she calls me) had made on that day which tasted just like puliyogarai, she was too small then as she did not remember the name of this dish. Anyways, here is the recipe a quick sambhar with out hassels.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 Kg Butternut squash
1 tbsp methi seeds (Venthyam / Fenugreek)
1 tsp channa dal
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp tuvar dal
2-3 red chillies (optional)
1 sprig curry leaves
Lime Size Tamarind
Marble size jaggery (optional)
a pinch of asafoetida
3-4 tbsp oil
2-3 tsp of Rasam Powder
3 to 4 cups of water
1 or 2 tbsp of Rice flour

Once the vegetables are evenly cooked add the tamarind juice, add some more water and allow it boil for some minutes, until the raw smell ceases.

Add 2 to 3 tsp of Rasam Powder allow it to boil for few more minutes, If it is becoming very thick add more water, add jaggery and allow it boil, for 2 to 3 minutes.

If u find the sambhar is very watery, Take a tbsp of rice powder dilute it in water and pour it into the sambhar, within minutes the sambhar gets thickens.

Serve it with hot rice & a tsp of oil

NOTE: you can increase or decrease the quantity of Rasam powder as you like it because you might be using a different kind of Rasam powder, Always change the quantity of the powders to your liking of taste for spiciness. I have mentioned optional to chillies and jaggery because some of us do not like the taste of sweetness in their food.  If you  like to have it very spicy they can omit this, If you wish to add Rasam powder more in replacement of chillies then that is also fine.
Add water boil for few minutes dissolve rice flour in little water and add it to the Kuzhambu this will thicken the gravy.
NOTE: When using fenugreek in any recipe do not over fry since it becomes bitter, add at the very end or fry in a low flame so by the time all the other spices this will change  into golden brown in colour.

VARIATIONS:
You can cook this recipe with all these vegetables:

• Okra
• Violet Brinjals
• Yellow or Sweet Pumpkin
• Squashes
• Tomato and onion
• colocaesia
• Vatrals  of all kinds

Vatrals are Vegetables and seeds which are sun dried and preserved. These kind of Vatrals are vastly available in Tamil Nadu, well, now a days you get it in all Indian stores too. Vatrals like Ladies finger, Manathakkali, Cluster beans, Sundaikai, Bitter Gourd, Karamani